“Blueprints: A Study in 2 Corinthians”
Part 5 – Renovated
NewSong Church – 08/31/08
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**NOTE: THIS IS A CONCEPT OUTLINE FOR THIS MESSAGE. GRAPHICS AND MULTIMEDIA ARE AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT THIS SERIES.
:: Background
• Chapters 10-13 are often considered to be either part of the “letter of tears” that Paul referenced earlier or a portion of a fifth letter to the Corinthian church .
• If we read ch. 10-13 as written earlier than ch.1-9, then we can see the result of authority and leadership that is strong, but also loving and sincere: the issue is resolved, the church is encouraged and Paul wraps up in ch. 9 speaking of unity in Christ.
• However, if we read this as a separate letter following ch.1-9, then we must take away that Paul’s earlier words fell on deaf ears and that those who were causing problems continued to do so.
• Either way, we can understand through Paul’s tone and subject matter that a fresh problem has occurred, accusations have been made against Paul, and the church yet again sits in crisis.
• These chapters deal with spiritual authority and leadership in the church, and Paul goes to great length to defend and uphold his position as the spiritual authority within the church – not out of a desire to control the church, but because of his responsibility and desire to see the believers of the church mature and grow in the faith.
•
2 Cor. 10:1
Now I, Paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ
The Gentleness and Kindness of Christ
• Gentleness (pra ot’ es): humility, meekness. Aristotle defined it as the correct balance between being too angry and never angry at all.
• It describes the person who is never angry on their own behalf, but is capable of righteous anger when others are wronged.
• It is the type of anger we see in Jesus; the same Jesus who drove out the merchants from the house of God, yet said nothing to those who accused him and caused him pain and suffering.
• Kindness (epie i’ kia): gentleness, reasonableness. By itself, it is best defined as “that which is just and also better than just.” When combined with praotes, it conveys an understanding that the standard of Christ is not justice, but love.
• Paul is stating that his defense is not about him being angry and telling people off, it is to right a wrong being done to the church – and he will address it with a Christlike attitude and authority.
2 Cor. 10:1-6
—though I realize you think I am timid in person and bold only when I write from far away. Well, I am begging you now so that when I come I won’t have to be bold with those who think we act from human motives. We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.
Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid
“… timid in person and bold when only far away.”
• 1st Accusation: “You’ll say behind my back what you won’t say to my face.”
• We must be people of transparency, honesty and integrity if we are to be representatives of Christ.
• How we deal with conflict says a lot about who we are – if we deal with personal conflict - but never with the person who is the source of the conflict – then we are opening the door for rumor, gossip, division and offense.
• Perhaps you have an issue with a church leader, or a policy, or a method of communication – the point is not whether or not you are right or have a reasonable complaint; the point is how are you making that issue known?
• If it comes out with everyone except the person it involves, then it doesn’t matter if we give it a pretty name: venting, sharing my heart, etc. – it is sin and is destructive to the unity of the church community, and has no place in God’s people.
“… those who think we act from human motives.”
• 2nd Accusation: “You’re only human – why should you speak for God?”
• This is like when children look at their friend and say, “You’re not the boss of me!”
• Regarding the friend, they might be right – but what if it was said to their parent?
• What would you do if your kid looked at you and said, “Who made you boss? Why should I do what you say?”
• This is at the heart of the issue Paul is addressing – recognizing spiritual authority and leadership within the church and within our lives.
• The Corinthians were looking at Paul – the founding apostle of the church, their “father in the faith,” and saying, “Who put you in charge of us?”
Paul responds to these two accusations:
• The first response he gives at the very beginning, speaking to his motivation – he is maintaining a Christlike attitude, and has dealt with the problem and problem makers so far justly, but with love and humility. These qualities may seem timid and weak, but they are not, especially when the motivation is to be like Christ to people.
• The second response speaks to his actions: “We are human, but we don’t act like it.”
• Theologian and commentator William Barclay stated it this way: “I am a human being with a human body, but I never allow myself to be dominated by human motives. I never try to live without God.”
How should we recognize spiritual authority?
1. Through their motivation – are they Christ-centered? Do they work out of love?
2. Through their action - do they act with gentleness and kindness? Are they guided by Christ and the Holy Spirit – or do human motives dominate their lives?
You’re Not the Boss of Me
2 Cor. 10:7-18
Look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do. I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But our authority builds you up; it doesn’t tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of using my authority. I’m not trying to frighten you by my letters. For some say, “Paul’s letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless!” Those people should realize that our actions when we arrive in person will be as forceful as what we say in our letters from far away. Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant! We will not boast about things done outside our area of authority.
We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our working with you. We are not reaching beyond these boundaries when we claim authority over you, as if we had never visited you. For we were the first to travel all the way to Corinth with the Good News of Christ. Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has done. Instead, we hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended. Then we will be able to go and preach the Good News in other places far beyond you, where no one else is working. Then there will be no question of our boasting about work done in someone else’s territory. As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.
• Again, we have here a response to charges we have not actually heard. One thing is clear though: at least some of Paul’s opponents claimed that he did not belong to Christ the same way that they did.
• Perhaps they were bringing up his past as an oppressor and killer of belivers and Christ followers; perhaps they claimed special knowledge or revelation about God and faith in Jesus; perhaps they claimed special holiness or greater works than Paul.
• In any event, they looked down on Paul, comparing their relationship with Christ to his.
• There are few things as dangerous to the church than an arrogant Christian – we can stand oppression, we can resolve conflict, we can address miscommunication, we can change government and leadership, we can stand against sin, we can address the failings of society, we can speak out against fallen culture, corrupt morality… but the person who claims to walk in grace and forgiveness of Christ, yet is motivated and acts with pride and arrogance – this has destroyed many churches and caused many believers to fall.
• The Church is often called the “fellowship of forgiven sinners.” We need to remember that we all belong to Christ because of his love – he does not belong to us.
How should we recognize spiritual authority?
3. By the example shown – do they teach and share grace and humility? Is Christ seen in and through them, or only their own works, ideas and example?
2 Cor.11:1-6, 12-15, 21-31
I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.
But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these “super apostles” who teach such things. I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way. But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours. These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve. But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles.
I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying.
• Paul looks at everything that he has done for Christ and presents the church with this: by many people’s assessment, Paul is a failure. He is constantly on the run, he seems to move from hardship to hardship, crisis to crisis. This is not a good example of strong, successful leadership, is it?
• But Paul believes that his weaknesses, his sufferings, his pain and grief are not negatives – in fact, they are the very things God looks for so that he can work in them.
Recounting his past experiences, Paul recalls a powerful encounter with God and continues on his theme of God working in weakness
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
There are three things here worth stopping and looking at:
• The vision of heaven
• The thorn in is flesh
• The continuing power of God
The Vision of Heaven
• In many religions, the aim of the mystic or prophet is the experience of the vision of God and union with Him. It is when “the seer and the Seen are one.”
• In Jewish tradition, there is a story of four rabbis who experienced this vision of God. Of the four, only one – a man of peace - survived the experience and continued to live in peace. Paul uses some narrative language here that would make sense to his audience – he speaks of a third heaven, referring to it as Paradise.
• The word “paradise” originates from a Persian word meaning “walled-in garden” and conveys a picture of a king who, wishing to confer an honor on a very special person, would give the right to walk in the royal gardens with him.
• In this experience, as never before and never again till his death, Paul had been the companion of God. This moment so impacted the life of Paul who longed for the day when he could be reunited with God in that way.
• Johnny Cash, while undergoing a heart procedure, died on the operating table. He was revived, and in his autobiography he claims that in his moment of death he was taken to heaven and experienced the beauty and glory of God in that place. After being revived, he said that it was so painful, so depressing to continue to live separated from that glory, apart from that intimate relationship with God.
The Thorn in the Flesh
Paul, though, does not use this experience as a way to prove his authority or spirituality – instead he looks to his areas of weakness and examines how God is at work in those areas of his life.
• The thorn in the flesh is one of the oldest debates in Christian faith.
• John Calvin believed it referred to spiritual temptations of doubt and a desire to walk away from the responsibility of spiritual leadership.
• Martin Luther believed it to be the constant oppression and persecution Paul experienced from those trying to undermine his work.
• The Catholic Church believes that it is carnal temptation, that Paul struggled as many monks, hermits and priests have, with sexual desires and cravings.
• Paul never directly addresses what this thorn refers to, but Scripture gives us some insight and the historical view of the early church fathers agree that in all likelihood this was a physical suffering that Paul experienced.
• Church fathers and theologians Jerome and Tertullian believed that Paul suffered from severe, debilitating headaches, resulting in weakness of his eyesight, seizures, and extreme physical pain.
God’s Continuing Power
• We can get so wrapped up in past achievements – we love to relive past successes and bring out our stories of victory and overcoming
• Paul had a trump card here – “I was in heaven with God” – but this is the only time he refers to it, and that tells us a lot about Paul.
• Paul wrote and taught from his position of God-given authority, but never to boast about it. He never wrote, “I, Paul, visitor to the third heaven, friend of God, and teacher of all things awesome and life-changing…” Rather, he would write, “I, Paul, an apostle by God’s calling and authority – but your servant, teaching for your benefit, living for your betterment, doing everything I do out of love and concern for you…”
• Do we live in the continuing power of God that daily humbles us and reminds us that we are here to love others and lead them to Jesus – or are we basing our current position and authority on a past moment when God used us?
How should we recognize spiritual authority?
4. By a clear reliance on God’s continuing power to bring dedication and endurance – because strength and weakness, success and failure mean nothing
2 Cor. 12:19-21
Perhaps you think we’re saying these things just to defend ourselves. No, we tell you this as Christ’s servants, and with God as our witness. Everything we do, dear friends, is to strengthen you. For I am afraid that when I come I won’t like what I find, and you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior. Yes, I am afraid that when I come again, God will humble me in your presence. And I will be grieved because many of you have not given up your old sins. You have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.
2 Corinthians 13:1-10
This is the third time I am coming to visit you. I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you. Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power.
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority. We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction. I hope we won’t need to demonstrate our authority when we arrive. Do the right thing before we come—even if that makes it look like we have failed to demonstrate our authority. For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature. I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won’t need to deal severely with you when I do come. For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not to tear you down.
Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet each other with Christian love. All of God’s people here send you their greetings.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
How should we recognize spiritual authority?
5. By the results produced in others – are they creating followers of Christ who grow in the faith.
6. By the real, powerful presence of Jesus Christ working in their lives.
